Yes, I know I’ve already written about this song. It’s just that good. I tried to branch out; I tried to listen to something else, but frankly, I don’t listen to a ton of new music that’s not Taylor Swift. I even wrote a whole other song review for this article, but I just had to stay loyal to the one new artist I consistently listen to year after year. And 2021 has been a wonderful year for Swift’s fans.

I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the re-release of Fearless, Swift’s second studio album which she redid earlier in the year. But let’s face it, it’s a lot more country than I care for. Cue Red. It’s technically a country album, but it’s pop enough for me.

But one of the secret gems of Red (Taylor’s Version) was not one of the poppier songs that masterfully disrupts Swift’s early days of twang. Instead, it’s the slow, sad indie number that she threw in to really live up to the release of her ‘sad girl autumn album.’ Thank you, Taylor, for “Nothing New.”

Swift includes a lot of sad songs on the album —which you can read about later— but as a burgeoning adult, “Nothing New” spoke to me and honestly frightened me too, as good songs should. Through the lyrics, Swift criticizes the media for their sexist attitudes regarding her dating and social life, connecting to the frustration her listeners have with the double standards often applied to women.

Swift also opens up more about her personal experience trying to remain “novel,” interesting and desirable in the eyes of her fans and the rest of the world. Reflected again in “mirrorball” on folklore, Swift details the many hoops she’s had to jump through to remain popular and successful, feeling as if people aren’t satisfied unless she continues to reinvent her image and her music. 

The song has a decidedly more indie-sound. It’s softer, and has a sad sort of beauty, contrasting heavily with the more upbeat songs on the album. “Nothing New” is also a lot more acoustic, led by guitar instead of the synthetic elements present in many of Red’s other songs —no, Everything Has Changed, I’m not talking about you.

While the instrumentals are strong, the crown jewel of the song has to be the vocals. Swift always knocks it out of the park, but her inclusion of indie artist Phoebe Bridges brought the song and the vocals to another level. Bridger’s voice, gives the lyrics a haunting nature, adding to the weary mood of the song. Her echoes of Swift’s musings about growing older and losing her way relay the message to the listeners, establishing a connection between artist and consumer that has shot Swift to fame throughout her career. “Nothing New” is nothing new in this respect, another trophy to add to a collection of music that truly resonates.